Covering an area of 26,338sqkm, Rwanda is a clean, safe and bustling top African destination. Rwanda is known as Land of a Thousand Hills due to the country’s high-elevation of 1500-4507m whose mountainous landscape expansive wetlands ensures a pleasant all-year-round equatorial weather. From the lush modern capital city of Kigali and across the entire country, Rwanda has undergone a rapid transformation from it’s horrific dark history that rocked the nation in 1994 to the Africa’s beacon of hope. This total transformation has rated Rwanda among the fastest economies on the continent boasted by forward-thinking young population, great leadership and excellent infrastructure.
Today Rwanda is a vibrant top ranking travel destination attracting holiday adventurers to its varied attractions.
Top Adventure Activities to do in Rwanda
Trek along the Mountain Gorilla and Golden Monkey at Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda offers one of the best mountain gorilla and chimpanzee trekking experiences along man’s closest relatives in their natural habitats. Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park lies on the north-west border with the DRC and Uganda where the famous Dian Fossey made ground-breaking research on mountain gorilla behavior and their fragile ecosystem which has led to robust conservation of these endangered apes. Today the park is a home to a quarter of the global population of mountain gorillas where a fraction is habituated for tourism and available for daily trekkers. Permits to mountain gorilla trekking must be booked and purchased well in advance as the demand is high.
The beautiful and active golden monkey is an Albertine Rift endemic primate that occurs along the bamboo slopes of Volcanoes NP. The golden monkey is a bamboo specialist living in large troops of up to 100 individuals led by a dominant male at the helm, distinguishable by their gold body coloration that contrast sharply with black patches. Daily morning guided treks to golden monkey begin from the park’s office.
Trek along the Chimpanzee at Nyungwe Forest
The chimpanzee occur in montane forests of Nyungwe Nationl Park in the south-west part of Rwanda. Lying in the heart of the Albertine Rift, Nyungwe Forest is the most biologically diverse forest with a great ecological importance in Rwanda and the region. Of the diversity protected here, are communities of chimpanzee along other 12 species of primates, 300-species of birds and a whole host of other endemic flora and fauna. Nyungwe National Park offers daily chimpanzee trekking experiences to up to three chimpanzee communities spread across this vast montane forest. As with the mountain gorillas, permits ought to be booked and paid for well in advance. The forest park also boasts over other great adventure activities.
Birding in Rwanda
Rwanda offers a rewarding birding experience owing to the country’s compactness, excellent infrastructure that links to birding hotspots, and a top range of touristic amenities catering for all categories of travelers. Rwanda’s high-elevation near the equator and at the confluence of the Africa’s bird-rich biomes/habitats makes birding here a wholesome experience to tick off variety of bird species unique to these habitats.
Rwanda’s whole western region is a top birding hotspot in its own right, lying in the bird-rich Albertine Rift, known for its high endemism of both flora and fauna. Rwanda’s birding hotspots along this Albertine Rift are the easiest and accessible to explore the rich diversity that occur in this endemic area. From these birding hotspots some 29 species out of the total 37 Albertine Rift Endemics are recorded. On top of the birding hotspots is the vast montane forest of Nyungwe National Park that host all the 29 Albertine Endemics known from Rwanda. Other habitats across the rift include high-altitude swamps fringed with swamps and volcanic montane ranges. Rwanda’s other birding hotspots include the savanna woodland park of Akagera NP in the country’s east, expansive wetlands Rugezi in the and the vast Nyabarongo wetlands in the southern district of Bugesera.
Cultural Tours in Rwanda
Rwanda is a rich cultural nation offering authentic and immersive experiences. This diversity of culture, traditions and norms is expressed through music, story telling, arts, drama and culinary experiences seen on a variety of guided community and city tours. A visit to museum sheds not only on Rwanda’s culture, but also the natural heritage and advancement to the current modern society.
Hiking
With high-altitudes between 1500m-4507m, the Land of a thousands Hills is an adventure country providing hiking opportunities across its towering mountain ranges for all categories of hikers. Other than the popular mountain gorilla, chimpanzee and golden monkey hiking experiences, Rwanda offers numerous and affordable hikes almost anywhere including in major cities. Top of the list are hikes offered at Volcanoes NP that include a day to multi-day hike options to the park’s mountain ranges of Mt. Bisoke, Karisimbi, Sabyinyo and Muhavura.
Wildlife safari Experience at Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park located on the countries east offers a true African Wilderness and the off-the-beaten experience. Highly accessible and uncrowded, the park has recovered from years of poaching into a fully stocked wilderness where flourishing game now includes the Big 5 cast of Lion, African Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhino. Other mammals in abundance include the Impala, Common Warthog, Reedbuck, Common Eland, Topi, Plain Zebra and more. Wildlife experience extend on open water where boat cruise safari bring you up-close to Hippo, Nile Crocodile and more aquatic specialists.
Wind off at Lake Kivu
Lying along Rwanda’s western border with the DRC, the 2700sqkm Lake Kivu is Rwanda’s largest and 20th most voluminous fresh water lake in the world. The attractive Kivu lake lies at an altitude of 1470 m within the Albertine Rift valley hemmed in by towering terraced mountain range. Lake Kivu’s Rwanda’s sand-fringed shoreline is serviced by a variety of top-notch and excellent amenities that offer a secluded beach holiday experience. The lake is conveniently located between Rwanda’s premier national parks of Nyungwe Forest in the south and Volcanoes NP making it a viable base to explore them and nearby surroundings. While at L. Kivu activities include; canoeing, kayaking, biking, cultural experiences, walking tours, hiking and island tour.